Composition for relief printing.



' I. D. nunLBU'r. COMPOSITION FOR RELIEF PRINTING. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 26, 1912 1,047,892, PatentedDec. 17,1912;

EMBOSS the machinery sign, Fig. 2, a view "third step,

. nnirnn STATES rigrnnr OFFICE.

nun. HURLIBUT, or rnainm no CHIEN, WISOON v.

COMPOSITION FOR RELIEF PRINTING.

Application filed January 26, 1812. Serial No. 673,577.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known'that I, IRA D. HURLBUT, a. citizen of the United States, residing at- Prairie du Chien, in the county of Crawford, State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Compositions for Relief Printing, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the process of mechanical relief printing in imitation, of steel die stamping, differing therefrom in that the relief effects are laid on instead of being impressed into the sheets by male and female dies, and is applicable to commercial stationery, business and personal cards, booklet covers, and any other work in which high art effects are desirable.

The object of this invention is to make available to ever printer the production of embossed or mechanical relief effects without the use of metal or composition dies or necessary to their successful manipulation. r Y

In carrying out my process I provide a material or composition thatis applied to the printed matter before it dries, said com position being in finely granulated form and consisting of the resinous constituent of gum elemi and a saccharine matter, preferably candied honey. After applying this composition the printed matter is subjected to'a temperature sufiicient to fuse the composition and closely associate it with the print, and then cooled. The result is the production of a relief similar to the work acco1n-- plished in the use of steel die stampin that is not only an improvement therein, because of the gloss effect secured by'the composition, but also more reasonable in cost of production. 9

My improved process will be described in, detail hereinafter, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a View illustrating the first step of my process, laying on the ink deillustrating the second step, placing the granulated compositionon the ink design, Fig. 3, a View showing the subjecting the printed production to the action ofheat, and Fig. 4, a view the honey. '1

., of thecompleted production.

In carrying out my improved process I Patented Dec.17,1912.

first print the design on any suitable material in the usual manner from type or relief plate with an ink containing the minimum content of oil matter and the maximum content of a rying agent consistent with distribution and color. The sole function of the ink in the process is to define the design, and' to color the superstructure that is to be subsequently applied; The drying agent in the ink servesthe double urpose of hardening not only the ink, but a so the re-' out the usual drying agents, in common use,

would finally harden by exposure, a dry-. ing agent in the ink is essential if the finlief which is to be added. .While' inks withished product is to be available for immediate use.

The first step in my Fig. 1 of the drawings. Y

The design having been printed, as stated above, the next step in the development of the relief is the process is shown in fore it has dried This composition is an essential feature of my process and consists of the resin of gum elemi and saccharine matter, preferably candied honey in the proportions of approximately ninety nine (99) parts of gum elemi to one (1) part of candied honey, although in practice I may use as high as twenty-five per cent. of

candied honey according to the crystallization of the honey used, and any other saccharine matter that will impart toughness application of the composition that forms the relief to thedesign beand flexibility may be employed instead of he gum alone'or combined with drying agents dened condition and relief. work produced with it readily loses its surface finish with the abrasion incident to use. The addition of saccharine matter of suitable character and in proper proportion overcomes this fault. g

In preparing the material I take the elemi of commerce which is aggregate consisting of resin oil and sap. The sap and the greater portion of the oil is rgmoved in any suitable manner, such, for instance, asby the application of heat, and the resultant is a flexibly gum a soft, plastic combined with 1s quite brittle in its har- Y I printed sheet. on its edge.

fragible substance, principally resinous, having some of the characteristics of rubber. To this material I add approximately one per cent. of saccharine matter preferably in the form of candied honey. The mixed resin and saccharine matter or 'dldlkld honey is then ground into granules of various sizes within narrow limits, the smallest of which will not pass through No. 8 bolt cloth, and the largest will pass through No. 50 strainer cloth. The fine dos-Hike particles that will pass through a dust sieve are of no availability in my process because not enough of the material in this form would adhere to the printed sheet to produce a relief effect that would be apparent to the eye or touch.

In applying this composition to the printed design, as stated above, it necessary to adapt the granules to the strength of the lines of the design, the smallestgranules being adapted to the small details and finer lines of the design, while the largest granules are adapted to the-strongest lines. The material is applied to the design while still wet by pouring from a suitable receptacle, or in any other desired manner, the excess of the material, that does not adhere to the design, being removed by striking the This step in my process is illustrated in Fig.2, the printed design being shown covered with granules of the composition described. The next step in the process is the application'of heat to the printed and covered design to melt the granules adhering thereto, this step of the process being illustrated in Fig. 3, the temperature being sutlicient to liquefy the granules so that they are fused together, but not so that the composition will run outside of the outlines of the printed'design. After this the. composition is allowed to cool, and the pigment of the ink and the drier contained therein having become incorporated with the composition, the 'pigi'nent serving to giro the mmposition the color of the printed design, while the drier causes the. composi-.

tion to quickly set and h'arden, so that. the

finished product shown in Fig. 4, is available for immediate use.

As stated, the pigment of the ink unites with the relief composition and serves to color the relief, but if a more highly colored production is desired the composition may be colored by a pigment while being prepared, and if an illuminated product is desired sutiicient gold, copper, aluminumor other metallic powder may be applied to the granules that will adhere thereto without alowing much free metallic powder in .the'

aggregate. \Vhen the composition is used to which a metallic powder has been added, as above described, the metallic powder appears wholly on the surface of the linished product in a thin layer of metal, the effect. being a very c ose imitation of the illuminated product of the die stamp and allied methods.

I am aware that a process has been heretofore patented for drying and varnishing prints in which it is stated that the varnishing matter may be comminuted in any way and may be any of the commercial gums as gum-dammar, gum-sandarac, kauri, or any other similar varnishing material capable of being applied as fine dried powder, and applied to a design for the purpose of giving a brilliant effect, I do not claim this as my invention. The finished product of this patented process is as the patentee states merely a varnished print, while the finished product of my invention is an embossed surface varying in thickness according to the lines of the design and the size of the granules used and converging at the center by reason of the high surface tension of my composition. This surface tension is a peculiar and an' essential feature of my composition which is not obtainable by the use of any of the conunercial gums specified in said patent for varnished prints, nor, so far as I am aware. any resinous gum except the resin of gum elemi and saccharine matter in granular form. On the contrary all of the other gums or resins thereof have atendency to spread and produce false effects. )[yinrention relates to the production of relief or embossed designs on printed surfaces and this can only be produced by the method of using granules of a fusible composition of graduated or assorted sizes, as the dust-like powder used in the patented process will simply cover the design and when melted and cooled will give an illuminated effect but no perceptible relief or embossl I urthcrmore the addition of a drier to any gum for use, in this or analogous processes, is entirely impracticable because to be a drier it must fuse at'a higher tem perature than the gum. if at all, and such a combination would be fatal to successful relief printing. l urthermore I have specified a. minimum and maximum size of granules of my composition as used in the process, and, so far as the minimum size is concerned this is about the limit of practicability but it "my be stated that the wider the printed-surfacc to be treated the larger the granule employed must be, this ratio between the width of the printed surface and the size of the granule being direct, but it. will be understood that there is a limit of practicability .in maximum size of the gran-l ule as well as in the minimum.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is- 1. composition for use in producing re lief printing effects containing the resin of gum elemi in granular form. 2. A composition for use in producing relief printing effects consisting of the resin of gum elemi and saccharine matter in parts, and candied honey approxinmieiy one granular form. part.

3. A composition for use. in producing In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my relief printing effects consisting of the resin signature in the presence of two witnesses. of gum elemi and candied honey. IRA D. RUE/L1H}? 4:. A composition. for use inproducing re- Witnesses: lief printing effects oonsisting of the resin D. S. WALKER,

of gum elemi, approximately ninety-nine 

